This invention relates to an apparatus for advancing and sorting objects with respect to their size as described in the preamble of claim 1. The apparatus according to the invention is primarily intended for sorting or sizing of fish but can, of course, be utilized also for sorting of other objects, e.g. peas, carrots and other vegetables.
Fish sorting machines now in use which are either located on board trawlers and other fishing boats or are erected on shore usually operate according to the vibration principle, a sloping table comprising a number of juxtaposed lathes, extending in the direction of slope and whose width diminishes continuously, and slits or slots which are located between the lathes and have a width which increases in the same extend as the width of the lathes decreases, being vibrated by means of an eccentric or the like. The fishes (or corresponding objects) falls down through the gaps, smaller fishes falling down before larger ones.
These known machines suffer from a plurality of drawbacks. Thus, the machines are very noisy on account of the inclusion of eccentrics or similar means for vibrating the lathes. Furthermore, there is a risk for fishes to get stuck and become jammed in the gaps between the lathes, hereby preventing other fishes from passing.